Chapter 6 South

America
Prepared By: Ms. Pamela Joy E. Alviola, MBA
• Fourth largest of the seven continents

• Home of the Andes mountain

ranges, the Atacama Desert, the, the
Amazon River, and the last great Andea
civilization, the Incas.

• Languages spoken in the South America

are Portuguese, Spanish, and
English, which is spoken in the Guianas.
• four major groups cultural continent: are American
Indians, the Spanish, the Portuguese, and the black
Africans that were brought for slavery

• individuals with mixed blood are:

• Mestizos, those with mixed European and Indian
blood;
• Caboclo, a Brazilian combination of Portuguese
and Indian blood; and
• Zambo, a mix of African and Indian blood

• 12 independent countries in the continent

consisting of Brazil, which occupies the large part
of the continent;
Learning Objectives:
1. identify all the countries under South America;
2. name the national facts and information of each
country;
3. locate each country on the map;
4. describe the cultural characteristics of the
people living in the continent; and
5. explain the tourism appeal of all the countries in
South America.
• Countries: 12 independent countries and
dependency/territory
• Largest Country: Brazil
• Smallest Country: Suriname
• Longest River: Amazon River
• Highest Mountain: Mount Aconcagua
Location
• Gulf of Darién in the northwest
to the Tierra del Fuego
archipelago in the south.

• Along with the islands of Tierra

del Fuego, the continent includes
the Galápagos Islands, Easter
Island, the Falkland Islands, and
the Chiloé and Juan Fernández
archipelagos.
Story Behind Name
• Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci, who was
the first European to suggest that the Americas
were not part of the East Indies, but an entirely
separate landmass.

• The portions of the landmass that lie south of

the Isthmus of Panama became known as South
America.
Physical Feature:
THREE PHYSICAL REGIONS: MOUNTAINS AND EXTREME GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION
HIGHLANDS, RIVER BASINS, AND COASTAL CONTRIBUTES TO THE CONTINENT’S LARGE
PLAINS NUMBER OF BIOME: A COMMUNITY OF ANIMALS
AND PLANTS THAT SPREADS OVER AN AREA
WITH A RELATIVELY UNIFORM CLIMATE.
 Andes Mountain System Aconcagua

Mountains & Highlands

• Andes is world’s longest and primary mountain
system, stretches from southern tip to the
northernmost coast of South America.

• Hghest peak in the Andes, Aconcagua straddles

the Argentina-Chile border. Aconcagua is the
tallest mountain outside Asia.
Patagonia
• Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia High plateaus of
Andes. The Patagonia region of Argentina and
Chile consists of lower-elevation plateaus
and rugged glaciers.
Altiplano
 Puya Ramondii
• Puya raimondii, is known
as the Queen of the Andes
the largest herb in the
world that can live for 100
years and can grow to
more than 9 meters tall.

• Brazilian Highlands and

the Guiana Highlands.
Located south of the
Amazon River in Brazil.
Brazilan Highlands

Guiana Highlands
River basins:
The Amazon, Orinoco, and Paraguay/Paraná.

1. Amazon River is the largest watershed in the

world. It is the life force of the equally vast
Amazon rain forest, which makes up about Amazon River
half of the rain forest of the entire planet.
2. Orinoco River flows north of the
Amazon. Llanos, is the primary biome of the Paraguay/Paraná River
Orinoco River basin.
3. Paraguay/Paraná River basin supplies water
to the plains biome, or Pampas, of South
America. The Pampas have
rich, fertile soil and predictable rainfall
patterns.
 Coastal Plain
• Found on the northeastern coast of Brazil, on the Atlantic Ocean, and
the western, Pacific coast of Peru and Chile.
• The Brazilian Highlands act as a wedge that pushes moist sea winds
away from the coastal plains.
The Atacama Desert is part of the western coastal plain
and considered as the driest region in the world.
Human Feature
• South America’s is influenced by indigenous populations and their
connection to the physical environment.

• These deep relationships continue to flourish on the continent through

celebration, religion, and political action.

• Incan Empire is the most well known indigenous culture of South

America.
 The importation of African slaves represented Their unique cultural practices
a major shift in the cultural landscape and were were integrated with indigenous
brought to Brazil. Indian beliefs as well as
European rituals.
• Religious practice of Candomblé a
uniquely Afro-Brazilian cultural
tradition a combination of traditional
beliefs from the Yoruba, Fon, and Bantu
cultures of Africa.

• Faiths are polytheistic, it means honoring

many gods and goddesses.

• Slave owners and church leaders put

slaves under intense pressure
to convert to Catholicism, a monotheistic,
or one-god, religion.

• Over time, the Candomblé faith

incorporated parts of Christianity.
 Flags, Country,
Capital and Languages